The Three Little Words
by vrangr
Summary: When little words work as one, they can be as strong as bricks. Pevensie sibling fluff. NOT INCEST


**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, folks. The truth hurts.

**A/N:** Oh, there you are! Come, come, all of you and make yourselves comfortable. All ready? Splendid! Here to let me tell you a little story or two, eh? Well, I hope I don't bore you because it's a bit long. But anyway, I'm sure you don't mind if it's going to be revolving around the four very special children we all love so well, right?

So it all started one rainy afternoon…

Another clap of thunder sounded from outside as rain poured profusely from the dark skies of dreary Finchley. Lucy jumped slightly in her seat, her pencil ending its careful strokes of a drawing on a get-well card. That's right. Edmund was sick. Again.

Lucy smiled as she shook her head, pushing away the thought of the horrid sound of rain and thunder, returning to her drawing of a king with a crown on his head riding a regal charger. Unconsciously, Lucy stuck out her tongue in frustration. It had absolutely _no_ likeness to Edmund. _At all._ The little Pevensie erased the face for the enth time that afternoon and raised the tip of her pencil over the space. After much though she reconstructed the face.

"Ah," she said happily after a while and proceeded to write a big 'Get well soon, King Edmund!' at the bottom of the card.

King? Ah, well you see, the four Pevensie children had just returned from their grand adventure called _Narnia,_ a magical land with beautiful talking beasts and mystical creatures, of vast landscapes of rich and lush green plains and mountains, and where they had spent a third of their lifetime as kings and queens. But then, they were sent back without warning, and away from Narnia and through the Wardrobe Door just as they had come in the first place. There was a good deal of crying when they returned unsure if they could ever head back to Narnia, and Lucy even tried going back to the wardrobe that night in hopes to find the Lantern Waste. But Professor Kirke (he's quite an odd fellow because he seemed to know what every Pevensie would be thinking) was there to advice Lucy kindly that she would only find Narnia if she wasn't looking for it.

And then, in the few more days that the children stayed in the professor's mansion, he called them one night after sup to tell them a most delightful secret: that he, Digory Kirke was the first boy to ever enter Narnia together with his friend Polly. When such was revealed, you could imagine the excitement the Pevensies were in, despite the fact that they were getting quite sleepy from having a good sup that night, and everyone shared their stories about their experiences in Narnia. And I am talking about very long stories, both good and bad, and so we shall not go on about them so much. At least not now. There is a time for everything, after all.

So we will return to Lucy who is now propping up the card to check whether it could stand on its own or not. She grinned when it did of course, and she was about to make a good comment to herself when another clap of thunder sounded from outside. Lucy yelped a little (well, she insisted it was just a little) and ran to the couch in the corner of the study room by the fireplace. She cuddled up against the cushions and then smiled to herself, "Oh, it's just the thunder," she said bravely and sat properly, "Nothing to worry about."

Lucy side-glanced to the fire place and smiled solemnly. The arrangement reminded her of her dear friend faun. Do you remember Mr. Tumnus? I'm sure you do, for he was the very first Narnian we all met when we entered the wardrobe to follow the story of the four children. Lucy leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes, remembering an old time in Narnia when she was very young indeed. Would you like me to tell you the story?

It goes like this. It was a beautiful Narnian summer's day, and it was also the first summer Lucy and her siblings were experiencing in Narnia. That day, Peter and Susan were both very busy doing things around the castle and attending meetings that Lucy was still fairly young to understand, so she decided to go and visit Mr. Tumnus. But she knew that Peter wouldn't let her go alone, no matter how safe Narnia seemed to be. After all, they had just begun reign, and weren't sure if exactly all followers of the White Witch were dead. But Lucy didn't like going with a guard (not that she didn't like them. They were wonderful and friendly guards, but she wanted to go with someone special that day…)

"_Edmuuuuuuuuuuud!" _

_Edmund nearly dropped a whole inkwell on his breeches as he heard Lucy's voice sounding through the halls outside. The brother chuckled and shook his head, setting the inkwell right up on the table, and well away from the parchment. A knock sounded on the door of his private study (By Gum, would you believe that? A private study all to himself! Every monarch had one, of course. Never had anything like this in England, you know.)_

"_Come in," Edmund called in a singsong voice to invite his sister inside. Lucy's head poked in, a wide grin spread on her face, "Edmund," she said and trotted over, forgetting to close the door in her obvious excitement, "Please come with me to Mr. Tumnus's. _Please?"

_Edmund creased his brow upward in hesitation. He did have an awful lot of paperwork to finish right now… "I don't know, Lu. Peter's asked me to finish all these for him. It's the least I can do to return a favor-"_

"_Oh, come on, Edmund pleeeeeaaaaase?" Lucy said and instantly jumped on her brother's lap, her small frame fitting perfectly in Edmund's arms, "Pretty please?"_

_Edmund wanted so badly to tear his gaze away from that adorable face. Can you imagine what he was seeing? I'll tell you. Lucy has a very round face, and very fair, and her chocolate brown eyes were like little bright marbles brimming with plea. On top of that she was pouting and staring directly at her brother, her face only inches away from his. It's the kind of expression you just can't say 'no' to, because it's the kind of expression you know will do either two of these things: one, it might continue to beg you until you give in, or two, it might cry. Edmund knew Lucy was a brave girl and wouldn't do the latter, but he didn't have the heart to even take the risk. After all, he'd made her cry more times than necessary in the past—? Edmund quickly pushed the dark memories out of his mind and pulled himself back to present, still staring down at Lucy's face._

"_Oh, all right," Edmund laughed ridiculously and hugged his sister tightly, "But just to show you I love you."_

_Lucy giggled and placed a kiss on her brother's cheek, "I love you too, Ed!"_

_It's amazing how three very simple words can melt your heart, especially with one of the best signs of affection. And when King Edmund the Just heard that from his sweet Queen Lucy the Valiant, it was simply…marvelous. Better than the creamiest of hot chocolate on a cold winter, better than a cool bathe in the clearest of the clearest lakes on a hot summer, better than a game of tag with a whole group of friends, better than going to sleep after an exhausting day out. _I love you_ was always the better of the better of the best._

Lucy sniffled. (She wasn't crying. She and the others had just developed a cold because of the weather.) And the little Pevensie recalled old, old, _old, _times when Edmund was…well, it's not so nice but I'll tell you about it later because right now, Lucy stood from her seat and quickly grabbed the card from the desk. Then, she made her way to the hall outside and began walking down to Edmund's room. The poor dear, she could already hear his sneezes from a few feet away.

"Lu?"

Lucy spun around to find her two older siblings, Peter and Susan (it was Peter who spoke though.) She smiled, "Hullo!"

Susan smiled back as she walked over before Peter, "What have you got there, Lucy?"

"I made a card for Edmund," Lucy said proudly and held up her masterpiece, "I hope he feels better when he sees it."

Susan took the card from her little sister's hand with great care, as if it were gold and she and Peter shared knowing smiles. The drawing still didn't look anything like Edmund, nor did the horse really look like a horse. (But they did jolly well not to say that aloud!)

Peter chuckled. Edmund had been sick with fever and colds for a day, and he himself had paid his visits to him to see if he was all right. He smiled kindly at Lucy, "It's excellent," he said and Lucy gave him a hug around his waist. Susan grinned and handed back the card, "I'm sure he'll feel better, Lucy. He'll love it, in fact and he'll get well very soon. You can be your very own magic cordial in your own right."  
Lucy gasped and her eyes glittered with excitement, "Really, Susan?"

"Definitely," Susan nodded firmly and turned to Peter, her eyes twinkling in the dimly lit hallway, "What sayest thou, High King?"

"I couldn't agree with you more, my Gentle Queen," Peter replied matter-of-factly and patted Lucy's head, "Going there now?" he asked.

Lucy nodded enthusiastically, "Why don't you come with me?" she invited, but her siblings only replied that they couldn't at the moment (only because mum started calling them from the kitchens asking for help.) So Lucy went on her way, skipping as she approached her other brother's room.

Slowly, and with the creak of the door, Lucy peeked inside the dark bedroom. She smiled with a worried expression when she saw Edmund's thin frame bundled up in quilts and still shivering; his dark wavy mop of hair just sticking out and jammed into a pillow. Lucy tiptoed inside and gently closed the door behind her, not wanting to wake up Edmund. Then walked to the bedside and set down the get-well card on a nearby table. Edmund sneezed again, but his face was still under the sheets. Lucy reached out to stroke his head and try to see if she could estimate his temperature—Good grief! How hot! Lucy's face fixed itself in a frown and she sat herself lightly on the edge of the bed, still stroking her brother's head.

Now, Lucy knew that to bring a temperature down, mum sometimes got a damp towel and wiped it across the forehead, and that's exactly what Lucy did, for she had done this so many times before in Narnia. It took a few moments for her to walk to and fro the bathroom before she found herself carefully pulling the quilts out of Edmund's pale face and wiping his brow.

I'll tell you something, that Lucy was always there for all of her siblings (and I mean all of the siblings were there for each other) but the youngest Pevensie was very especially attentive to Edmund. Why? Oh, I'll tell you too, don't fret. This one is a story that I was supposed to tell you earlier in the study.

Anyway, let's just say that Lucy and Edmund always had a very special relationship, and it was very up-and-down, so to speak. It started when Lucy was six, and Edmund was about eight and a half.

_Edmund walked down the path from the house to their front garden. Mum told him to call Lucy and tell her to come in and have sup. And Edmund was a good boy, so he did as told, but when he found Lucy, she was looking up forlornly at the old tree and she had tears streaming down her face._

"_Oh, Lu!" Edmund exclaimed in his little voice as he ran to his sister and took her in his arms, "Are you hurt, Lu?"_

_Lucy sniffled and shook her head. She pointed up at the tree and Edmund saw her toy puppy wedged between two branches. He raised his eyebrows, "Now, how'd it get over _there?"

_Lucy bawled and Edmund begged her to keep quiet. (You know how scared older siblings get when they think they've accidentally made their younger siblings cry?) Edmund walked to the base of the tree and started climbing. He heard a gasp behind him, "Oh, Ed," Lucy whimpered, "You might get hurt. Maybe we should ask Peter to get it instead."_

_Edmund snorted. Peter? Aw, he, Edmund, can do this just as well as tall and strong Peter can. After all, this was for Lucy. He would climb this tree for Lucy, "Don't be so…how do you say it? 'Ankshus' Lu, I'll get it myself. I can."_

_So Edmund climbed on until he was very high from the ground (it's high for an eight year-old, but not so for Peter.) Deliberately, Edmund began to reach for the toy when he heard the branch he was standing on creak under his weight._

"_Oh, bother--!" Edmund cried and he slipped and found himself hanging from the branch. Lucy screamed and stood under him, "Oh, do be careful! I'll call dad, I will!"_

"_Do be a good girl and keep quiet," Edmund mumbled and he pulled himself up on another branch, the same one as the toy. He threw down the stuffed puppy to Lucy, which she caught gracefully and cradled it in her arms, "Thank you, Edmund," she beamed, "Now, get down before mummy catches you. She won't like this."_

"_Just remind me, Lucy," Edmund said sarcastically and carefully climbed down. It was just in time too, because Peter came out wearing a grin on his face, "Oi, you two!" he called running across to the garden, "Come inside or none of us will be having ice cream tonight."_

"_Ice cream?" Edmund and Lucy said in unison. Peter winked and opened his arms wide, "Aye, that's right. Now get over here!"_

_Edmund and Lucy giggled as they ran to their brother in a tackling hug._

Lucy smiled as she recalled that event of her life, and she placed the towel on the table, watching Edmund in his fitful sleep. He groaned uncomfortably and turned to another position. Lucy pouted and hugged her knees to her chest, her chin resting lightly on her knees. She closed her eyes.

So, I'll tell you another story, shall I? Lucy is still waiting for Edmund to awake…

This one takes place during the war; the same year the four children were going to be crowned kings and queens. But that's still a far way off. Let's go to Finchley of 1940 and to the Pevensie living room…

_Edmund sat alone in front of the fireplace, sulking as he now usually did. Lucy stared at him from afar. Why did her brother change all of a sudden? He used to be such delightful company, and he'd play with her everyday and read to her and do all those things, but ever since the war began…well, Edmund wasn't Edmund. In fact, everybody seemed to have changed._

_Suddenly, mum was always so worried about something called 'The Blitz' and she would look outside the windows. Lucy never understood what the Blitz was though. And Susan was very quiet, and she would hardly play with Lucy either. In fact, she was almost as worried about the Blitz as mum was. Peter changed in a way that appalled Lucy, because sometimes he would suddenly beg mum to let him go to the 'trenches' with dad. And then mum would start shouting at him and scolding him for being an ungrateful child about not caring for his safety, and then Peter would retort that he loved his family and that's why he wanted to go with dad. Lucy never understood that (what _were_ trenches anyway?) and on top of it all, Peter was suddenly _like_ dad. He was ridiculously protective of the family now, but for some reason, his favorite object of anger was Edmund. Well, Edmund would get quite naughty now and then, but nothing Lucy thought really deserved a glare and a cold-shoulder for a whole week._

_So Lucy quietly walked up to Edmund and stood behind his slumped figure on the floor, "Ed?" she asked softly. Edmund flinched, "What do you want?" he asked rudely. Oh, those words bit Lucy like a mean thing as they were said quiet hatefully._

"_Can we play now, Edmund?"_

"_I don't want to play with you or any of your stupid games," Edmund snapped and scrambled to his feet to glower down at his sister, "Go play by yourself!"_

_Lucy's chin quivered, "But you always used to play with me."_

"_So? That was years ago. Stop being such a baby and buck up!"_

_With that, Edmund stormed out of the room and Lucy was left to crying alone. Just then, Peter came in and froze when he saw Lucy sobbing in the middle of the room. Instinctively, the older Pevensie grumbled loudly, anger evident in his voice, "EDMUND!"_

_Lucy gasped and whirled around, "Oh, don't!" she begged and ran to her brother, "Don't get mad, Peter, he didn't mean it."_

_Peter shook his head and walked out of the living room, repeatedly calling the younger brother's name. Eventually, Edmund was found in the study talking to Susan (I must say, during the war, Susan seemed to be Edmund's confidante—in the most subtle way.) Susan's head shot up to the direction of Peter and quickly, she pulled Edmund into a protective embrace, "Peter," she said reproachfully. Edmund now buried his face in his sister's hair. _

_Peter looked exasperated, "He made Lucy cry _again."

"_I know, Peter, but please just-"_

"_Come off it, Susan," Peter snapped and addressed his brother, "Edmund, please apologize to Lucy."_

_Edmund tore away from his sister and all three other siblings were shocked to see tears streaming down his face, "You're always getting mad at me for no reason at all!" Edmund shouted, "Every time there's something just the slightest bit amiss it's always, 'Edmund' this and 'Edmund' that! Oh, bother you!"_

_Peter stood dumbfounded and Edmund raced out of the study. Susan huffed and stood to glare at Peter, "Will you just _please_ try and talk to him like the real brother you're supposed to be?"_

_Peter's face grew very regretful and he bowed his head in shame. Lucy took his hand to offer the slightest bit of consolation, and Susan left the study in search for her younger brother._

_That night, Lucy played alone near the front door, waiting for dad to come home. When he finally did, it was rather late, and none of the family even had sup. Mr. Pevensie came in the front door carrying a very heavy looking dark green bag and he smiled rather sadly at the sight of Lucy. The little girl grinned and ran to her father, "Daddy!" she squealed. Mr. Pevensie chuckled and lifted his daughter from the floor, kissing her on the cheek, "Where's mum?"_

"_She's been in the kitchen for hours," Lucy said worriedly, "Is she all right, daddy? I wanted to play with her earlier but she just waved me away."_

_Mr. Pevensie noticed the child looked so hurt, but he couldn't say anything. After all, he knew why his wife was upset, and he knew he was going to upset the rest of the family tonight._

_So when all the Pevensie children were gathered in the living room with their parents, Mr. Pevensie cleared his throat and said as steadily as he could, "Children, you know that the war has already started, and the army has been recruiting as many men as possible to the trenches."_

_Lucy bit her lip. The word 'trenches' was now starting to be a very bothersome word these days. It always seemed to inflict a sort of fear to anyone who heard it._

"_I'm being called to serve tomorrow, and--" dad choked, "I have to say goodbye."_

_Lucy gasped and she felt tears well in her eyes. Everybody had their own reactions to the statement. Firstly, mum started crying again, as if she hadn't done enough of that earlier that day. Susan hiccupped rather violently and turned away from her dad. Peter looked very serious and said nothing, but Edmund had resorted to shouting with as much fury as he could possibly project, "I HATE YOU!"_

_The statement shocked the whole family (and just imagine how hurt poor Mr. Pevensie was when he heard that from his little boy. And we must consider that Edmund actually loved his father very much but I'm sure you're smart enough to understand what's happening within the emotional statures of the family now.) Edmund ran out of the room in a fit of tears. There was a strained silence after that and nobody said a thing after a few seconds. _

_Peter slowly stood from his seat and walked outside the living room with a heavy sigh. Lucy silently followed, wondering where he was going, and Peter seemed too preoccupied to even notice his younger sister sneaking behind him. _

_So let me tell you what Lucy saw…_

_Peter walked down the far end of the hallway until he came to Edmund's room. He knocked._

"_Ed?" he called gently._

"_Go away!" came the sobbing reply. Peter looked very sad and shook his head, "Come on, Ed. Let's make it Pax."_

"_Shut up! I said go away!"_

_But Peter went in anyway and he forgot to close the door properly. Lucy couldn't resist walking to the room and peeking through the small space. What greeted her eyes touched her heart. She wasn't sure how long it was (for when you don't understand what's going on, you will really lose track of time) but Peter was sitting beside Edmund on the edge of the bed. Both brothers had their backs to the door and were talking in hushed tones. At least Peter was talking. Edmund was very silent. And then after that very long talk, Edmund suddenly wept loudly and actually _allowed_ himself to be embraced by his big brother. That moment lasted very long indeed, and Lucy left them that way for the night._

Edmund sneezed and that brought Lucy back to the present. She watched her brother gasp and then groan as he shifted his position again. Lucy took the damp towel from the table and gently wiped the sweat off of his face.

Well, he still hasn't woken up. I'll tell you another story, which may very well be the last. This one takes place in Narnia, before the grand coronation of the soon-to-be Majesties of Cair Paravel. It is a very treasured moment in the hearts of all the Pevensie children.

_Lucy grinned broadly as a dryad helped her pin the rich velvet cloak over her faint blue gown. The Pevensie children were being crowned kings and queens in a matter of hours! Can you imagine the excitement?_

"_There you are, Your Grace!" the dryad exclaimed happily and another maidservant clapped her hands from the other side of the quarters, "All that's missing is the crown on your head."_

_Lucy twirled around happily, "Thank you so much!" she said brightly and the two servants curtsied in acknowledgement. In a few minutes, Lucy walked briskly down the hallways to Edmund's quarters. She wanted to know how he was doing. When she arrived there, she could hear voices coming from inside the ajar doors. She recognized it as Susan's and Edmund's but Lucy was a good girl and did not eavesdrop. The little Pevensie knocked and was bid inside, and she was greeted by the sight of a beautiful older sister dressed regally in silks, and a very smart looking older brother in the softest velvets. _

_Lucy gasped delightedly as she ran over to Susan and was instantly pulled into a hug, "You look wonderful!" exclaimed the youngest. Susan chuckled and beamed, "And you do so yourself," she said. Edmund remained silent, but he touched Lucy's shoulder and smiled. Lucy stared up at him, "What's the matter, Edmund?"_

_Edmund silently burst into tears and Lucy's eyes widened in shock. The brother knelt on the floor and looked up into her eyes, smiling weakly, "I love you, Lu."_

_Lucy smiled with a creased brow and shook her head. She threw her arms around her brother and hugged him as tightly as she could, receiving a hug in return._

_The two siblings did not know how long the moment lasted (but I'll tell you that it was around five minutes) before they felt two pairs of arms wrap them in an embrace too. Lucy was able to take a little peek of to whom they belonged, and she found Susan and Peter. Susan was very close to tears, and she had her eyes shut tight. Peter had his eyes shut tight too, although he was already crying, but at the same time he was smiling, the kind of smile that was relieved and content and so happy. Lucy grinned and figured, that this day was certainly very special. What's more is that she heard the three very special words from her very special brother just minutes ago._

So that ends my little story telling to you. Edmund was now trying to will his eyes open and he turned his head to the direction of Lucy.

Lucy smiled down at him and she lay a gentle hand on his warm forehead, "Hullo, Edmund," she said, "How do you feel?"

Edmund smiled and closed his eyes, "Hullo, Lu," he said hoarsely, "I feel better."

That was true, for the moment he realized it was Lucy, it was as if his fever suddenly disappeared and he was just left with a very runny nose. Love is a queer and beautiful thing, I tell you. Lucy marveled out how suddenly her brother's breathing became easy and relaxed, and she decided she should leave him to rest. So the sister bent down and placed a kiss on in his hair and carefully stood up from bed.

"Lucy?"

Lucy turned around and found her brother staring at her reproachfully. Lucy understood. She smiled kindly and sat herself again on the edge of the bed. Then, she took her brother's hand and kissed it too, "I'm here, Ed."

Edmund smiled feebly and he closed his eyes contentedly.

"I love you, Lu."

"I love you too, Ed."

**A/N:**Well, that there ends it. It's not much, but it's the best way I could tell all of you. I for one don't usually tell stories like this, but I felt like being someone like your grandmother for today, so there we go!

:D


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